soccer games at the coliseum. tonight at seven, we're going to go back out to the coliseum. raj is going to share more moments from the final game. we'll also be joined by former a's player shooty babitt. that is tonight in our 7:00 newscast. but up next on nightly news coverage of hurricane helene as florida hunkers down for the powerful storm. nbc nightly news starts right now. right now breaking news tonight. helene gaining strength and now an extremely dangerous category 4 storm set to hit florida store. the monster hurricane bearing down on the florida panhandle with 130-mile-an-hour winds. heavy rain and up to 20 feet of life-threatening storm surge. tallahassee in the cross hairs tonight. forecasters warning conditions along the coast will be unsurvivable. states of emergency

and mandatory evacuations in effect. our team in the storm zone. and we'll have the new track. also tonight, new york mayor eric adams indicted on federal corruption charges. the mayor accused of accepting bribes, free or discounted trips, and luxury hotel stays from foreign nationals and a turkish official. the fbi searching his official residence. his defiant message as he faces calls to resign. israel's benjamin netanyahu vowing to keep striking hezbollah in lebanon with full force, despite the u.s. push for a cease-fire. kamala harris meeting today with ukrainian president zelenskyy. donald trump saying he'll meet zelenskyy tomorrow, after slamming him for not cutting a deal with russia to end the war. and the little hippo who is a big social media hit. and now you can see her 24/7. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening and welcome. when this week began, hardly anyone was talking about a storm named helene. well, tonight, it's all anyone is talking

about along the florida coast, and across the deep south. as we come on the air, now category 4 hurricane helene powering its way ashore in florida's iconic big bend region. forecasters have warned it could gain even more strength before officially making landfall later this evening. the hugely powerful storm captured in these images taken from a hurricane hunter plane, producing sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. the sprawling mass of helene a jaw-dropping 500 miles in diameter. already tonight, some dramatic images of the storm surge. water rushing beneath florida's matlacha bridge. a storm surge of up to 20 feet forecasted tonight. virtually the entire west coast of florida under hurricane and storm surge alerts. georgia and south carolina also in the line of fire. we'll get the latest track in a moment, but we start in tallahassee with tom llamas. and tom, what are you expecting there? >> reporter: lester, good evening. some are describing this as tallahassee's

most dangerous storm event in modern history. it's calm right now, but according to the radar, conditions could change at any moment. for the most part, the streets are deserted here, as the rain is starting to fall harder and harder. this storm is so massive, affecting pretty much all of florida right now, on a collision course with millions of its residents. tonight, that monster hurricane helene aiming for florida's capital, destroying these docks as tallahassee braces for catastrophe. >> this area has not had a major hurricane hit in quite some time, and certainly nobody in recent memory has seen a storm of this magnitude that has hit. >> reporter: with a foot of rain and triple-digit winds in the forecast, residents bracing for power outages and floodwaters raging in. authorities urging everyone to get inland fast. sergeant, you just came over here to tell us something important. what was that news? >> that evacuation is mandatory, and as you can see by the water, it's going to get worse.

so, we need to make sure everybody is cleared out of here as quick as possible, and as safe as possible. >> reporter: a hurricane so severe the national weather service calls the storm surge potentially unsurvivable. 46 million under flood alerts. 20 million at risk for tornadoes. and helene's fury could turn trees into weapons. >> you can have a great home that can withstand a category 3 storm, winds hazardous tides menace the big bend region, . it's a lot more difficult to withstand a big tree falling on your roof. >> reporter: as hazardous tides menace the big bend region, some coastal towns could see storm surges 20-feet high. this weekend was supposed to be a big money festival at john turner's bar. instead, it's a disaster. you're obviously taking this thing seriously. what do you think is going to happen? >> well, we're going to prepare for the worst, obviously, and hope for the best and pray for the best. >> reporter: for many, shelters are the only way the stay safe. that's where naomi alonzo and her three kids will ride it out. >> well, since, you know, we've never been through a hurricane like this big and we

would rather be safe, you know, just in case. >> reporter: tonight, as the full force of helene lands on shore, local officials with a final warning. >> if you're just bound and determined to stay and not get out of harm's way, go and take a black magic marker, write your name, social security number, and everything on your arm so we can identify you. >> that's a sobering warning there, tom. what are some of the big concerns for the state's capital as you move into the night now? >> reporter: lester, as you heard the governor say, they are not used to a storm of this magnitude in tallahassee. one thing they're worried about, these big beautiful oak trees. they've been here for years all over the city, they provide a great tree cover, beautiful to look at. but tonight, with a hurricane with category 4 winds, they are incredibly dangerous. lester? >> tom, thank you. the impact of this hurricane is being felt well beyond florida. priya sridhar is in atlanta. priya, what's the

situation there tonight? >> reporter: that's right, lester. here in atlanta, schools and businesses are already closed. officials say hurricane force from helene will be felt here in the city and across the state, warning of the potential for sustained power outages. tonight, millions are being urged to stay off the roads as we brace for helene's impact. lester? >> priya, thank you. bill karins is tracking the storm. what's the latest? lester, we're watching for the first time in recorded history of a category 4 hurricane making landfall in the big bend of florida. you can clearly see the eye, it intensified rapidly all afternoon today. and now, it's only miles away from the coast. we're going to have land. sometime before midnight in florida, about 70 miles from the coastal area. so, what will this mean once it moves onshore? of course, with the winds itself, that's going to be incredible. even in the middle of the night, through georgia, the winds could still be gusting up to 100 miles per hour. at day break in atlanta, near tropical storm force. at landfall, we'll see

the catastrophic winds somewhere between tallahassee and perry, florida, that's where we could gust to 100, maybe even 120-mile-per-hour winds. then the winds will weaken during the day, but still massive power outages all the way up through the state of georgia. the rain is not going to stop. it's only going to get worse tonight into tomorrow in areas of north georgia, especially portions of north carolina. and lester, we still have a tornado threat, too. >> yeah, there's that. all right, bill karins, thank you. let's go to that sweeping federal corruption indictment of new york city mayor eric adams. prosecutors laying out how they say he abused his power for years. adams maintaining his innocence, and defiant. here's laura jarrett. >> reporter: tonight, the first sitting new york city mayor in modern history indicted on federal bribery charges. >> i follow the rules. i follow the law. >> reporter: eric adams vowing to fight and stay in office as prosecutors revealed allegations in a sweeping 57-page indictment unsealed today, just hours after a predawn search of his official residence at gracie

mansion. >> the conduct alleged in the indictment, the foreign money, the corporate money, the bribery, the years of concealment is a grave breach of the public's trust. >> reporter: adams accused in the indictment of accepting free or deeply discounted trips to china, sri lanka, and india, luxury hotel stays and more, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. bribes prosecutors say adams illegally accepted from wealthy foreigners and at least one turkish government official, all in exchange for political favors. >> year after year, he kept the public in the dark. he told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them. >> reporter: among the allegations of favoritism, in 2021, adams was informed it was, quote, his turn to help turkey. so he pressured the city's fire commissioner to green

light approval of this building, despite serious safety concerns from the city, all because turkey wanted it opened in time for that year's united nations general assembly. after the approval went through, prosecutors say that unnamed turkish official wrote adams, "you are a true friend of turkey." >> these are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again. >> reporter: prosecutors also accuse the mayor of masking illegal donations from foreigners, secretly routing their money through small dollar donors based in the u.s., so-called straw contributions, and they say his campaign took advantage of a new york program that matches smaller contributions to, quote, steal public funds, raking in more than $10 million. but his defense team says the evidence will exonerate him. >> there are emails with mayor adams telling this staffer, telling all of them, do not take foreign money, period. >> reporter: the policeman turned politician has lived under a legal cloud for more than a year, one growing darker in

recent weeks, as members of his administration have come under increasing juteny in several different investigations. the city's police commissioner, top lawyer, and school chancellor have all resigned. but adams has steadfastly maintained his innocence. >> and i ask new yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments. >> reporter: some democrats now calling for adams to step aside. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: as he headed back inside gracie mansion today, protesters shouting after him. >> resign! resign! >> and laura, the mayor says that he is not going to resign, but his future isn't necessarily entirely up to him? >> there is a scenario, lester, in which the governor, governor hochul, could actually force him from office. now, it's a lengthy process that has not been used in modern times. she has not said she intends to use that power, only that she wants to do what's best for the people of new york. >> all right, laura jarrett, thank you. in the middle east, israel carried out new targets in lebanon after prime minister benjamin netanyahu rejected a u.s. plan for a temporary cease-fire. richard engel is in lebanon. >> reporter: hours

after israel rejected u.s. calls for a cease-fire, the israeli military was in action in beirut. israel says it killed the head of hezbollah's drone unit in a targeted strike. its leaders are being systematically eliminated. arriving in new york to speak at the u.n., israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said there will be no cease-fire, despite an initiative from president biden and france for a 21-day pause for diplomacy. "we are continuing to hit hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we achieve our goals. first and foremost," he said, "returns residents of northern israel safely to their homes." israel wants to push hezbollah away from its border and destroy the militia's rockets, missiles, and drones which hezbollah has launched at israel for nearly a year,

including today. to do it, israel is bombing intensely, pounding hezbollah strongholds in southern and eastern lebanon in what is for now an air war, which lebanon says has already killed around 700 people. israel has threatened to invade lebanon, most likely crossing the border here in the south. but u.s. military officials tell nbc news they are not seeing the kind of buildup israel would need for an imminent ground war. lester? >> richard engel, thank you. and back home, vice president harris meeting with ukrainian president zelenskyy at the white house. and former president trump saying he'll meet with zelenskyy tomorrow as he urges him to cut a deal to end the war with russia. here is garrett haake. >> reporter: tonight, vice president harris standing side-by-side with ukraine's president zelenskyy. >> my support for the people of ukraine is unwavering. >> reporter: accusing former president trump of wanting ukraine to surrender. >> there are some in my country who would instead force ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory. they are not proposals for peace. instead, they are proposals for

surrender. >> reporter: late today, trump responding. >> it's not a surrender. what my strategy is to save lives. i'll meet with president zelenskyy and we'll see what happens, but i believe i can work that out. >> reporter: and saying he can still work with iran, despite his campaign saying u.s. intel briefed him on iranian assassination threats. trump pulled out of the iran nuclear deal in 2018. would you try to make a deal with iran of some kind if you were re-elected? >> sure, i would do that. i believe in getting, you know -- it doesn't -- it doesn't matter. i have a -- i have a great memory, but it's a memory that wants to serve the people. >> reporter: meanwhile, the former president tonight slamming harris the night before her second trip to the southern border in four years. >> kamala harris will be visiting the southern border that she has completely

destroyed. >> reporter: trump blaming harris for the record over 10 million migrant crossings since she and president biden took office. >> she keeps talking about how she supposedly wants to fix the border. why didn't she fix it almost four years ago? >> reporter: harris overnight dismissing trump's complaints, after he directed republicans to block a bipartisan border bill this year, which he said wasn't tough enough. >> he killed a bill that would have actually been a solution, because he wants to run on a problem. >> reporter: after his meeting with zelenskyy, trump is in the critical battleground state of michigan, where absentee ballots were mailed out today. lester? >> all right, garrett haake in new york tonight, thanks. in 60 seconds, beyond the hurricane zone. we look at the coastal catastrophe in north carolina. why are houses being swept away, even after measures were put in place to protect them? ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death

in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. multiple beaches are closed in north carolina tonight after several houses collapsed into the sea. as anne thompson explains, it's not the first time it's happened there, and in this era of climate change, it likely won't be the last. >> oh, my god! oh, my god.

>> reporter: this month, nature seems to be playing a cruel game of dominos with homeowners on north carolina's outer banks. three houses in four days on the same street swallowed up by the ocean in rodanthe, including sharon troy's. tell me -- what's it like to lose a house that was your family gathering spot for 16 years? >> it's pretty devastating. >> reporter: troy's home now one of ten in the area gone since 2020. how many homes in dare county are at risk of being swept away by the ocean? >> we're looking at another 20 that are going to be potentially compromised here very soon. >> reporter: the homes in the bulls-eye of rising sea levels fueled by climate change. in 2022, we watched local authorities replenish beaches with sand dredged from the ocean. but projects like these cost tens of millions of dollars, and how long do they

last? not nearly as long as you might think. then buying an extra five to seven years, leaving homeowners with few options. >> you can choose to move the property yourself. that's an expensive proposition. local government cannot do anything. >> reporter: sharon troy is trying to pick up the pieces, holding on to memories the ocean can't wash away. anne thompson, nbc news. and up next for us here tonight, with vice president harris about to visit the southern border, we visit a part of the border wall that's rarely seen. plus, she is a worldwide sensation. you'll get to meet her up close, coming up. er, but 't of a dinosaur, because it only treats your symptoms, not inflammation. treating both symptoms and inflammation with rescue is supported by asthma experts. finally, there's a modern way to treat symptoms and asthma attacks. airsupra is the first ever dual-action rescue inhaler

that treats your asthma symptoms and helps prevent attacks. airsupra is the only rescue fda-approved to do both. airsupra is an as-needed rescue inhaler and should not be used as a maintenance treatment for asthma. get medical help right away if your breathing does not improve, continues to worsen, or for serious allergic reactions. using airsupra more than prescribed could be life threatening. serious side effects include heart problems, increased risk of thrush or infections. welcome to the modern age of dual-action asthma rescue. ask your doctor if airsupra is right for you. ♪(voya)♪ there are some things that work better together. like your workplace benefits and retirement savings. voya helps you choose the right amounts without over or under investing. so you can feel confident in your financial choices voya, well planned, well invested, well protected. when anyone in this house we it doesn't stay white for long. white? to soccer? i'm not gonna slide tackle. but now with tide oxi white,

we can clean our white clothes without using bleach even works on colors. i slide tackled. i see that. it's got to be tide. after careful review of medical guidance and research on pain relief, my recommendation is simple: every home should have salonpas. powerful yet non-addictive. targeted and long-lasting. i recommend salonpas. it's good medicine. ♪ hisamitsu ♪ ♪♪ [mud splat] and that's why i never drive those guys. the party's over big guy! we're tired of hearing “i don't wanna get my truck dirty.” with weathertech laser-measured floorliners front and rear... a seat protector and full bed protection... trucks are totally covered. you just got weatherteched. yeah, buddy.

let's get dirty. ♪♪ order your premium american made products at wt.com. protect against rsv... with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. ♪♪ the city hall insiders have a formula: ♪ grow the system, exploit the system. take mark farrell's record. after receiving the largest ethics fine in city history for breaking campaign laws. mark authorized a commission almost every year he was in office. he was even caught taking donations from people he would then appoint to commissions, including a felon convicted of bribery.

san francisco's challenges demand urgency, not more of the same failed insiders. we're back now with major issue in ing the 2024 race. kamala harris set to visit the border tomorrow for the first time as the democratic nominee, where she could face questions about her shift on a top priority for rival donald trump -- the border wall. here is julia ainsley. >> reporter: it's a physical symbol of a divisive issue, the border wall. unfinished and at the center of the presidential election. in 2021, president biden deputized vice president harris to stem the flow of migrants by looking at the root causes of migration. >> these issues must be addressed in a way that is informed by fact and informed by reality. >> reporter: but harris has only visited the border once as vice president and has kept relatively quiet on

the issue while campaigning. her platform is largely penned on the promise to bring back a failed border security bill that includes new border wall construction, something the biden administration previously opposed. nbc news got rare access to this remote area of the border, now closed to the public in coronado national park. we made our way near the top of a mountain along the u.s.-mexico border. it was right here that contractors stopped wall construction at the end of the trump administration. a very tangible relic of her opponents' immigration policy. when the biden took over, the materials were left behind? >> they were left behind. i've been told they can't get rid of it because it's metal. it's been sitting down here for the last 3 1/2 years. we've been frozen in time here. >> reporter: former president trump built more than 450 miles of wall, though the vast majority replaced existing barrier. he's made the issue a top campaign issue, from the wall to his

plan for mass deportation. >> we'll also seal the border and stop the migrant invasion into our country. it's the greatest invasion that we've ever had into our country. >> reporter: border agent quinto, vice president of the border patrol union which endorsed trump, says the wall is a critical tool to stop illegal crossings. >> you need it here because this is one of the top areas in the entire country for entries into the united states. >> reporter: harris, who once called trump's border wall un-american and vowed to block its funding, now says she will support a targeted border wall. state representative consuelo hernandez is campaigning for her in arizona. >> there are some places that make more sense than others to have a wall, but we need more than a wall, and that is not the solution to a border crisis. >> reporter: no new border wall has been built since biden took office. but as harris heads to the swing state of arizona on friday, the country is awaiting new details of her border plan and if she intends to pick up wall construction where trump left off. lester? >> all right, julia ainsley, thank you. when we come back, we'll take a trip to the zoo to see the new arrival, a global

sensation. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction.

serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. when bad allergies hit, trust claritin to keep you in the game. (♪♪) nothing is proven more effective for 24-hour, non-drowsy allergy relief in 1 pill. live claritin clear. (♪♪) liberty mutual customized my car insurance so i saved hundreds. with the money i saved i thought i'd get a wax figure of myself. cool right? look at this craftmanship. i mean they even got my nostrils right. it's just nice to know that years after i'm gone this guy will be standing the test of ti... he's melting! oh jeez... nooo... oh gaa... only pay for what you need.

♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ( ♪♪ ) asthma. it can make you miss out on those epic hikes with friends. step back out there with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. ( ♪♪ ) fasenra helps prevent asthma attacks. most patients did not have an attack in the first year. fasenra is proven to help you breathe better so you can get back to doing day-to-day activities. and fasenra helps lower the use of oral steroids. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. get back to better breathing. get back to what you've missed. ask your doctor about fasenra, the only asthma treatment taken once every 8 weeks. if you can't afford your medication,

astrazeneca may be able to help. the smiles and the tears at the last game in oakland, and we investigate a contentious finally, there is good news tonight about a tiny hippo who has become a huge sensation on social media. now she has her own 24/7 livestream. janis mackey frayer is in thailand. >> reporter: with pink cheeks and dewy rolls, moo deng is the hottest little hippo

on the planet, an internet superstar who seems to be showing up everywhere, on sports teams, at landmarks. she's this way. we saw moo deng here at the khao kheow zoo in thailand, doing what the 2-month-old pygmy hippopotamus does best, sleeping, being cute, and sleeping some more. >> very cute. >> i get to see them with my own very eyes. >> reporter: moo deng, whose name means bouncy pig or pork patty, shot to fame after she was born when the zoo uploaded adorable images of her. for the world, it was love at first sight. do you think she realizes how popular she is? "moo deng may not know," says her keeper. "but her mom may be surprised. before, it was quiet here." now that she is the meme of the moment, zoo attendance has soared. her image now a registered trademark here. can i get a tee shirt? out of stock. and boosting awareness with pygmy hippos considered an

endangered species. while cameras now offer a 24/7 livestream, we saw that beyond the antics going viral, moo deng wants only to be close to her mom, jona, a little girl unaware of her fame and happily unbothered. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, chonburi, thailand. >> adorable. that's "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. it is inevitable. they will grow up. (♪♪) discover who they are (♪♪) what they want from this world.

and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. (♪♪)